British investor charged in Mombasa with Sh39 million tax evasion

Aaron John Kitchener at the Mombasa Court. [Kelvin Karani/Standard]
A British national, a director at a security firm, has been charged with failure to pay tax amounting to over Sh39 million.

Aaron John Kitchener, however, denied the charges when he appeared before Mombasa Chief Magistrate Edna Nyaloti on Wednesday.
The magistrate directed he be released on a bond of Sh3 million and a similar Kenyan surety.
Mr Kitchener, who faces several tax-related offences, was ordered to deposit his passport with the police and told to return to the court for pre-trial conference on August 23. The Briton was charged alongside his fellow British directors and other Kenyan directors who did not appear in court.
Kenya Revenue Authority lawyer Moses Ado did not oppose his release on bond but demanded he surrenders his passport.
The accused was later led to the underground Shimo La Tewa cells before being transferred to police cell.
Kitchener, who by the time of going to the press was still in the police cell, has denied that on diverse dates between January 1, 2018, and July 20, 2019, being a director of Xfor Security Solutions, failed to pay Sh5,578,181 Value Added Tax.

He also denied that on diverse dates between January 1, 2015, and December 2018, he failed to declare Sh24,636 778 being Pay As You Earn tax from salaries paid to management staff by the company.
Incorrect statements
The accused was also accused of making incorrect statement to the commissioner of domestic taxes in 2018 amounting to 2.4 million for salaries.
The magistrate also ordered Kitchener’s co-directors believed to be British nationals Gillespie Steven John and Gary Michael Lincoln to appear in court on August 23, this year, to plead to tax evasion charges.
Also charged in the same court with economic crime was John Oduori Liyali, who was allegedly found in possession 10 rolls of exercise stamps made without the authority of KRA.
Oduori was released on a bond of Sh1 million after he denied the charge.
He was allegedly found in possession of the exercise stamps on February 15, 2019, at Nyali Estate.

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